Overview

• On July 9, a kangaroo court in Kanjamajhira village yoked Lak Saraka and Kodia Saraka like oxen and forced them to plough fields for defying clan marriage taboos.
• The couple were then subjected to purification rituals at the village shrine before being expelled and are now sheltered by relatives in an undisclosed location.
• Widespread outrage followed after a video of the ordeal circulated on social media and human rights groups condemned the act as unconstitutional mob justice.
• Rayagada Police have registered a FIR under relevant legal provisions and dispatched a team to Kalyansinghpur block to investigate the incident.
• Sub-Collector Ramesh Kumar Jena plans to conduct a formal village-level inquiry and has vowed to prosecute those responsible.